Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! / Nintendo DS : 5 of 5

I'm a total fan of music-based games - not only DDR, but just about anything that's based on rhythm is super fun for me. There was so much buzz about this Japansese game on the web, so I had to order it and check it out, and now it's become one of my favorite games! Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is definitely unique because of its gameplay and story. Each chapter begins with manga-esque comic panels telling about someone who needs encouragement (a student studying for a test, a secretary trying to impress her boss, and really funny things like a guy stuck on a train who needs to use the bathroom!). When they are at the end of their rope, they scream "Ouendan!" (which basically means "cheering squad"), and three guys burst in and perform a cheering routine! That's where the game comes in - you have to tap on numbered circles and trace along lines to the rhythm of popular J-Pop songs (there's even a classic Morning Musume song level). The tapping and tracing get extremely complex at times - I was stuck on one level for days! Being an import game, all of the comics and things are in Japanese, but you can generally tell what's going on visually (but I love trying to read the text anyway). This game is coming out in the US sometime soon as Elite Beat Agents, but I'm so glad I bought the Japanese version, since the US game will have different characters and songs (but I will probably buy it also!). Combining a music game with Japanese humor and culture definitely makes this game a WEBmikey hit!